JUSTIN KAUFLIN

Justin Kauflin is an award-winning, American "jazz pianist who favors a clarity of touch and ideas ... his writing is balanced, tempering post bop tendencies with the assurances of the gospel church" -New York Times.  As leader, player, composer, and producer, Justin Kauflin has released 10 recordings to date and collaborated on over 30 projects which includes performing on Oscar Peterson's personal Bosendorfer for Oscar, with Love.  For 10 years, Justin has worked and toured under the management of Quincy Jones and Quincy Jones Productions.

In addition to his performances, Kauflin is involved in sound design and film scoring, composing original soundtracks for several documentaries, ads, trailers and contributed to several movies. Justin is featured in, as well as composed the film score for, the Academy Award short-listed documentary, Keep On Keepin' On, which honors his mentor, the late legendary jazz trumpet/flugelhorn player, Clark Terry.

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Alongside performing with his own trio, Kauflin has collaborated with The Clark Terry Quintet, The Clayton Brothers Quintet, Corey Fonville Quartet, Katie Thiroux Trio, Brian McCarthy Nonet, Songevity, Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet, James 'Saxsmo' Gates band, Thomas Fonnesbaek Trio, Roxy Coss Quartet, Jae Sinnett Trio and continues to tour as a Yamaha Artist.

PRODUCER

Justin, a faculty member at The Governor's School for the Arts, is excited to announce the return of JAZZ NIGHTS for its third season, a wonderful opportunity for students and the local community to experience live jazz in a concert setting. Alongside the concert series, Justin plans to resume live streaming with 30 minutes of QUIET TIME  improvisations. You are warmly invited to join in.  Subscribe to Justin's YouTube Channel to receive notifications.  Both events are free, but if you’d like to express your appreciation, any contribution—large or small—will help us maintain and grow the Jazz Night and Live Stream series. Please feel free to use the QR codes below.   Thank you!

EDUCATOR

Through the Keep On Keepin' On JAZZ OUTREACH, Justin promotes jazz education with screenings, Q&A sessions, workshops, and student jam sessions leading to a concert. He has served as an adjunct faculty member and adjudicator for various jazz festivals and has served as a Jazz Ambassador with the U.S. State Department in multiple countries.  Justin has performed at numerous jazz festivals worldwide and often incorporates student workshops. In 2022, he joined the faculty at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Virginia.

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ADVOCATE

"Being blind is only a part of who we are ... it should never be something that defines us" -JK

Justin became completely blind by age 11 due to proliferative exudative retinopathy. With support from Virginia Beach public schools, he excelled academically, graduating summa cum laude while also mastering braille and mobility skills.  At William Paterson University, he accessed brailled music scores through the National Library Service and utilized technology like Dancing Dots and Sibelius for composition. As a Kennedy Center VSA award recipient, he advocates for disability awareness and collaborates with companies to enhance accessibility for visually impaired musicians and producers.